The Trump administration has subpoenaed New York Times journalists following the outlet’s reporting on security issues related to the president’s newly acquired Air Force One, as reported by the New York Times.
According to the outlet, the justice department served subpoenas to Times reporters on Friday, demanding their testimony before a federal grand jury in Manhattan five days later. This marked the administration’s latest attempt to compel journalists to provide testimony under potential legal consequences. Some subpoenas were delivered to reporters’ homes.
The justice department did not immediately respond to inquiries about the subpoenas.
Advocacy groups, including the National Press Club, expressed strong concerns. The club stated that federal prosecutors’ actions against the New York Times undermines a core principle of American democracy: an independent press serving the public, not the government. They urged the justice department to withdraw the subpoenas.
A Times attorney, David McCraw, emphasized that federal agents visiting journalists at their residences should “shock the conscience of any American who upholds constitutional protections for press freedom.”
The Qatar-provided aircraft, valued at $400 million, was used for Trump’s July 1 maiden voyage to North Dakota and later for flights to a NATO summit in Turkey. However, the president flew part of his return journey on an older Air Force One model amid the Iran ceasefire collapse, which triggered US military action against Iran and Israel in late February.
The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that the new Air Force One lacked antimissile systems and other security features present in older models. The outlet also noted that Trump’s partial return flight on the older jet followed Secret Service recommendations.
Trump dismissed security concerns, stating to accompanying reporters that “there are many enemies of America, and I’m number one on their list.” The White House also defended the aircraft as “state-of-the-art,” claiming it incorporates advanced security protocols to mitigate threats.
Journalists Julian E Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt from the New York Times received subpoenas for grand jury appearances, per the newspaper’s report.
Earlier this year, the justice department similarly subpoenaed journalists from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, but withdrew the orders after the outlets challenged them in court. Grand juries are a key tool for prosecutors to build criminal cases.
Additional instances of the Trump administration targeting media include efforts to criminalize coverage of protests, such as charges against journalists Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and photographer Junn Bollman for reporting on a Minnesota ICE-related demonstration. A separate case led to an FBI raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home.”